Mar. 30, 2014
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President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin / AFP/Getty Images

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama and his aides face another tense week over Russia and Ukraine.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov began new talks Sunday in Paris, as Russian troops and tanks continue to mass along the eastern border of Ukraine, stirring fears of an imminent invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine, and "he is absolutely not looking for a way out," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, speaking on Fox News Sunday.

While an invasion of Ukraine is a concern, Rogers also said that "nobody really knows what (Putin's) intentions are."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN's State of the Union that some observers believe that the Russian troop movement "looks like an invasion force." But, she noted, Russia says its forces are only engaged in military exercises.

There are an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Russian troops on the Ukraine border.

Feinstein said she hopes for a diplomatic solution, citing the new talks that follow a Friday phone conversation between Obama and Putin.

In a statement, the White House said that a diplomatic solution remains possible "only if Russia pulls back its troops and does not take any steps to further violate Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty."

In its statement on the phone call, the Kremlin said Putin emphasized the "continued rampage of extremists who are committing acts of intimidation" against ethnic Russians in Ukraine.